Solving time : 26 minutes. On a first read-through of the across clues I didn’t get a single one, and I was sure we were in for a dose of impossible Thursday. I fared a … Read more “Times 23902 – wordplay goes bumph”
Author: glh
Championship Qualifier #1
Solving time : shhh, it’s a secret. I’m not entering the Crossword Championship – even if they had a Southeastern US regional final, I wouldn’t be able to make it to the UK in October. … Read more “Championship Qualifier #1”
Times 23884 – in which we take the knife to Wales
Solving time : 27 minutes (edit: and one error! Defeated!). Unfamiliar circumstances, having to solve (and blog) this without a paper copy. I found this a real slog, had to take a rehydration break in … Read more “Times 23884 – in which we take the knife to Wales”
Mephisto 2483 – Tim Moorey
I’ve found the last few Mephistos pretty tricky and this was no exception, took about four sittings to finish it, and liberal use of Bradfords. Even after getting the two 12-letter words straight off, there … Read more “Mephisto 2483 – Tim Moorey”
Times 23878 – don’t forget your toothbrush
Solving time : Egads! with a few frustration breaks and a search for coffee, 95 whopping minutes, and that includes using some google and Bradfords This is the most difficult crossword I’ve encountered in the … Read more “Times 23878 – don’t forget your toothbrush”
Times 23872 – a tale of two halves
Solving time : 32 minutes, and one naughty peek in the dictionary I found this one to be a real challenge, and expected it after three pretty easy puzzles this week. Some clues were very … Read more “Times 23872 – a tale of two halves”
Times 23860 – A mal song rang (4,8)
Solving time : I resorted to aids (Chambers and Bradfords) after 35 minutes to get the last few, so 41 cheating minutes. I found this one tough. Really tough. On a first scan through the … Read more “Times 23860 – A mal song rang (4,8)”
Mephisto 2479 – Mike Laws
This was one of the hardest Mpehisto’s I’ve tackled in a while. The bottom half didn’t take long at all, but after a first sitting the top half was almost empty (4d was the only … Read more “Mephisto 2479 – Mike Laws”
Times 23848. Don’t drink and solve
Solving time : 45 minutes, with one break, and a lot of deliberation, and there’s two I’m not 100% on. Thanks for the emails and comments about my new Listener blog. I’ll be updating it … Read more “Times 23848. Don’t drink and solve”
Mephisto 2475 – Chris Feetenby
Most of this fell rather readily, I had to check a few spellings. I like this style of Mephisto where the obscure words have fair wordplay and enough checking letters to give someone of my … Read more “Mephisto 2475 – Chris Feetenby”